IKO Shingles. Do They Really Set the Standard?

Several of the top brand name shingles in roofing are GAF, Certainteed, Owens Corning, BP and IKO.  I love Owens Corning, GAF and Certainteed. IKO.....not so much.

In our business, I see a lot of roofs. I have also repaired a lot of roofs but the one I have repaired the most are the shingles made by IKO. In fact, I would venture to say more than 90% of the roof repairs we have repaired are IKO!

IKO has had BIG problems over the last 15-20 years and I mean BIG!!! There have been several types of shingles produced by IKO that have caused major problems for the company and homeowners who who had IKO shingles installed.

Some 20 years ago, IKO produced an organic shingle. It all sounded good. I mean, a green friendly shingle? Come on....what's not to like about that? Well, the problem was they literally decomposed at a rapid pace after they were installed! The result? A whole lot of ticked off customers and one BIG class action lawsuit against the company. Feast your eyes on the picture below!

The roof below was a mere 15 years old and it looks like it's disintegrating into dirt right on the roof.

The next major problem IKO had happened around 2012 and in subsequent years. On the back of all shingles is a tar line that works as an adhesive to hold all shingles together. However, IKO produced a tar line on several brands that had a near 100% failure rate of adhering together. It was a catastrophe! In the last two weeks I have had to repair these two IKO roofs. 

I was able to show these customers that almost none of their shingles are adhering to one another. IKO has definitely had its problems in the past and there are MANY people who are upset with IKO. Here are some reviews from a website called Top Class Action about IKO shingles:

My house was new construction in 2006. IKO Chateau shingles. Roof is deteriorating awfully and just got an estimate for 25K
PLEASE HELP!   Jeff

My house built in 2006 and the IKO shingles on roof have been deteriorating for several years. Has been crumbling, pieces falling off the shingles onto my deck and yard for at least the last five years. They are lifting, curling and falling apart.
Any help in getting a settlement would be appreciated.  Paula from Calgary, AB

Our sad story is very similar to all the above, house built in 2012 with 30-year IKO Cambridge architectural shingles, and within 2 years shingles started blowing off when subjected to wind speeds well below half the wind speed rating. This is now an annual event with more shingles blowing off each year. Additionally, due to fading of the remaining shingles, it’s impossible to repair the roof without introducing significant aesthetic damage due to the patchwork appearance (i.e. new dark shingles that must be used to replace the old faded blown off shingles create unsightly patches on the rest of the faded roof), plus the repair cost. Is there any way to participate in this or another class action lawsuit? Rick

These comlaints are just the tip of the iceberg! There are many many more!

The most common complaints I hear from my customers about IKO are:

1. They blow off. This is true. I see it all the time! I see it every day I'm out working!

2. They curl prematurely! Also very true! 

3. The tar line sucks, they don't adhere. Also VERY VERY VERY True! Like the pictures above show.

Now that said, shingles can blow off if installed improperly. However, it has been rampant with IKO.

Now let's boil this down! Would I ever install IKO shingles on my roof? Unlikely! However, I might try them on a small outbuilding to see how they do. Especially the IKO Dynasty shingle which some roofers believe is a pretty good shingle. What do I have on my house? I put a new roof on 5 years ago and I have Owens Corning Duration shingles. They absolutely ROCK!!!

Because I buy so many bundles of shingles to repair IKO roofs, I have talked with distributors who sell IKO shingles. They assure me all problems with IKO shingles are solved and they are producing a great shingle. IKO is now a fibreglass shingle and the distributors have told me the nail line and tar strip are improved. If this is so, I applaud IKO. However, In my opinion, the jury is still out. As the saying goes, " "Once burned, Twice shy."

Sure there have been some tests done in the last one to two years that demonstrate IKO has made some improvements for the better. The long term, though, is the big question mark. Many of IKO's previous problems didn't show for 5-10 years or more. I liken IKO's problems to the early problems the Hyundai Motor Company had when they entered the Canadian market around 1982. The Hyundai vehicles were absolutely awful!! They broke down all the time and everywhere! The vehicles also had huge rust perforations within two to three years. I nicknamed it, "The decomposable car"! Hyundai essentially lost the trust of most people, including me. However, to Hyundai's credit, they re-grouped, made the necessary changes and began producing a pretty amazing vehicle! So much so, I bought my wife a new Hyundai Santa Fe in 2014 which we still drive today and love it! It's probably the most dependable vehicle I've ever owned! However, it took me 30 years to trust Hyundai again!

It will be the same with IKO shingles. It will take major changes, a determination to make as good a shingle as GAF, Certainteed or Owens Corning, and decades to earn the trust of most roofers and consumers. So, if I do the same thing with IKO that I did with Hyundai, I'll start buying and installing IKO shingles in 2052 when I'm 92 years old! Until then.....I'll likely refrain.

If you would like a quote for a new roof or roof repair, eavestrough, fascia, soffit or siding contact us at 905-966-2564 or visit our websites www.theeavestroughcompany.com or at www.peakroofing.ca

Alu-Rex...Setting the Standard for All Gutter Protection Systems.

                                                                      

The Eavestrough Company has been in business now for 15 years. In that time I've seen a lot! Since I'm in the eavestrough business, it has been interesting to me to see the evolution of numerous different types of gutter protection systems.

There are only a few different types of gutter protection systems. When I first got into the business, the rage was all about foam filter inserts. The big names were Gutter Filter and their rival, Gutter Filter Canada. The foam filters were such a popular thing that Costco could not resist and got into the market. Within a few years and after millions of feet installed, this product was proved to be what it was....total garbage. The sun beat the product to shreds and it clogged badly.

Also popular were the reverse curve gutter protections. I bought a house that had this product on it. The product name was Leaf Guard.  I was very interested to see how it worked. In light to medium rains it worked fine. In heavy rains the water ramped right over the top and onto the ground. I also found that small debris reverse curved right into the eavestroughs and then you couldn't easily clean it out. After one year, I was eager to get this product off my house. 

Then there are the micro-mesh gutter guards. In my opinion, these products are total gimmicks. I would give the actual product a passing grade but for some reason, all these companies seem to think they can make a $4 to $5 product and sell it for $30-$60 per foot. They are CRAZY EXPENSIVE!

However, it all the years I have done business, the one company that has been rock solid in it's business practice, gutter protection design, integrity, and honesty has been the Alu-Rex Company. Back in 2001, two brothers, Guy and Stephane Brochu (who owned their own gutter company), designed and built the product and company.  

I have been installing the Alu-Rex products for 15 years and, in my opinion, there is no product like it. The product they designed is simple and extremely effective. In fact, it has been so effective MANY companies have attempted to copy their design. Smart Screen, Flex Point, AM Aluminum Gutter Guards, Leaf Tek, Kaycan and numerous others have come up with their own version of this gutter protection system.

However, none of these compare to Alu-Rex in quality, effectiveness, and a company that actually stands behind their product. It's why it is now the only product I sell. 

Why do I think Alu-Rex products are the best? There's a host of reasons but let me state a few:

1. The product is simple and it keeps all debris out of the gutter so it can blow off the eavestrough.

2. The product is made out of very sturdy aluminum and will not collapse or deteriorate.

3. The warranty is SOLID (40 years!) and the Company actually stands behind the product.

     To illustrate how great this company is, I was called out to a house by a home owner who could not get ahold of the original company that did their install. When I went out to the house I notice the product had been installed incorrectly and the original company, who was now out of business, had married up Alu-Rex Gutter Clean with a small amount of an ineffective knock off product. The knock off product had allowed a ton of debris to slip under it and clog the gutters. I contacted my Alu-Rex sales rep, Andrew,  and explained the situation to him. Alu-Rex and I worked to get everything fixed and repaired properly for this customer. I love Alu-Rex because they are serious about customer satisfaction!

4. The product is sold at a great price! Seriously, call us and see! Unlike other gutter protection products, you won't feel like you have to second mortgage your property to have it installed!

5. It handles a ton of water! I have never seen a rain this gutter protection can't handle! It can handle a torrent! 

I could go on and on. No gutter protection is perfect but, in my opinion, Alu-Rex is pretty close! In closing, you might want to watch the Alu-Rex You-Tube videos to see how awesome this product is! 

By the way, before watching the videos, if you would like a quote for eavestrough, fascia, soffit, siding or Alu-Rex gutter protection products, call us at 905-966-2564 or visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com. Now watch these awesome videos!

Leaf Filter. Is it Canada's Best Gutter Protection???

 

Leaf Filter!!!! Ahhh!!!!! "Canada's Best Gutter Protection!" At least that's what their website claims. You see them at Home Shows, you see their commercials, and you see their Facebook Ads. They seem to be everywhere! They claim on their website to have installed over 47,000 meters of product in Canada for more than 1 million customers! Now that's impressive!

So let me ask you, "Why wouldn't you want it?" If you look at their website and ads, they look and appear to be the perfect company. They are filled with fabulous testimonials, appear to have the best product on the planet, and seem to have the best customer service.

I feel compelled to write about this gutter protection because of issues I've encountered with Leaf Filter. Let me start off by saying, I do not think they have a necessarily bad product. I think in most instances it's actually a pretty decent product and would give it a passing grade for its effectiveness at keeping debris out of the gutters. However, let me state some issues, questions, and concerns I have with the product.

1. THEY USE HIGH PRESSURE SALES TACTICS.  After requesting an estimate, your first encounter with Leaf Filter will be with someone from their sales team. A friend of mine, Daniel (who is a quadriplegic), had them give him a quote and he said they are highly trained and extremely high pressure. He likened it to the vacuum cleaner salesmen from yesteryear. I'm old enough to remember those salesmen and had a couple in my house in the 80's. They simply didn't want to take no for an answer and tried to make you believe one of the most foolish decisions in the world would be made if you did not buy their product. 

2. IT IS TERRIBLY OVERPRICED.  My friend, Daniel, lives in a bungalow with 200 lineal feet of eavestroughs. Daniel told me the salesman's initial price for "Canada's Best Gutter Protection" was $9600. That's an eye popping $48 per lineal ft!!! When he balked a couple times at the price, the salesman made a couple calls to "his boss" and was able to find some discounts and get the price down to $6000 or $30 per ft. Here's how outrageous that price is: I could install all new eavestrough, fascia, soffit, AND an awesome gutter protection on Daniel's home for $7400!!!! This shows you how out of line Leaf Filter is on cost! Now for the sad part, Daniel accepted their quote for $6000 and Leaf Filter installed the product in a matter of days.

3. DOES LEAF FILTER REALLY KNOW ABOUT EAVESTROUGHS OR DO THEY PRIMARILY WANT TO SELL YOU GUTTER PROTECTION? Based on Daniel's experience and my running into a Leaf Filter salesman at a Home Show, I tend to think they really know little about eavestrough and simply want to sell their product. I quizzed the person at the show about eavestroughs and asked questions anyone involved in the eavestrough business should know and the guy was clueless. Also, my friend, Daniel, well, his eavestroughs are 30 years old, in pathetic shape and need replaced. Leaf Filter told him they would repair these eavestroughs so they would be as good as new! After Leaf Filter did the install, the corners still all leaked. Daniel phoned many times to try and get them back to no avail.

4. I QUESTION HOW DURABLE AND DEPENDABLE THE PRODUCT IS.  Daniel contacted me yet again about Leaf Filter issues because it didn't look right. Here is what I found! Look at these 4 pictures. The Leaf Filter is coming apart and it's only a little over a year old! 

Needless to say, Daniel has a great deal of buyers remorse!

5. LEAF FILTER'S ON-LINE REVIEWS ARE NOT THE GREATEST! Take a look!

Here are their:

Google Reviews with a score of 3.5 out of 5: leaf filter reviews

Home Stars Reviews with a Star Score of 59% out of 100% Home Stars

6. IT REALLY ISN'T "CANADA'S BEST GUTTER PROTECTION" AS THEY CLAIM.  I would give it a passing grade as far as effectiveness with most deciduous debris and some coniferous debris. I actually like the product and believe it works on probably 80% of houses, but it is only "THE BEST" in their opinion, web site, sales presentations, and advertisements. As far as effectiveness to cost, I would give it a failing grade as it is just too ridiculously priced, in my opinion.

7. THEY HAVE SOME PRETTY BAD VIDEO REVIEWS ON YOUTUBE. Here's one of several!

Youtube Special Investigation on Leaf Filter

8.  WOULD I EVER BUY IT?  The answer is a resounding NO. The reasons above would strongly deter me from buying this product.....especially after what my friend, Daniel, has gone through! On another note with Daniel, last year I made a call to Leaf Filter on his behalf. I explained his Leaf Filter was only 4 months old but he needed new eavestroughs. I asked Leaf Filter if I could remove them, replace the eavestroughs, and re-install the Leaf Filter. The lady on the phone said, "Absolutely not!" She explained Daniel would need to call Leaf Filter and have them remove it. Then I could replace the eavestroughs. After I was done their installer would come back out and re-install the Leaf Filter! Seriously! But for another $6000??? Who knows?

This review may be viewed as a little self-serving, since I do install a different gutter protection. However, gutter protection is only a small fraction of what we do. We install eavestroughs, fascia, soffit, siding, roofs and gutter protection. I also think my reputation speaks for itself. If you would like a quote for any of the above items listed in this paragraph, please contact us at:

The Eavestrough Company at 905-966-2564 or visit our website at https://theeavestroughcompany.com

Or for a roof at:

Peak Roofing at 905-746-5792 or visit our website at https://peakroofing.ca

What gauge aluminum should you use when installing new eavestroughs?

 When considering buying or replacing your home's eavestroughs, the first questions are often, "What company should I hire and who can I trust to give me the best workmanship?" Of course, you want a fair price as well but a fair price should never mean the cheapest price. Years ago, my wife and I hired a carpenter to re-frame our basement. We were fairly new home owners and our budget was tight. We hired a company who was incredibly cheap on their price and it took only a few days to find out why. This "carpenter" had no clue what he was doing!" We ended up firing him, ripping the whole job apart and starting over with someone more expensive who was spectacular! 

At the end of the day, the saying is true, "You get what you pay for."

When it comes to eavestroughs, it is important to proceed with caution and research the company you are hiring very well. Our industry has its share of "fly by night" companies and installers. In the last two years since Covid began, the supply chain disrupted, and high inflation has occurred the cost of our materials are up around 200%. This has caused us to increase our price dramatically because WE WILL ONLY  install quality products from Gentek, Kaycan, or Royal or Alu-Rex. All of these are Canadian manufacturers. These companies provide thick, heavy gauge aluminum which range between .024 to .027 gauge. 

However, a few companies, in order to save money have begun to buy materials from a company bringing in an extremely thin gauge material manufactured from overseas. This thin gauge aluminum has been used on new home construction for the past 10 years. It's cheap! It's cheap in price and it's cheap in quality. I've seen this material and handled it. It's not just thin, IT'S RAZOR THIN! One of their salesman recently tried to sell me on the product. He told me the benefits for my company using his material and how it would boost my profit margin. At the end of his canned presentation, he asked what I thought. I communicated two things to him: 1. His material was so thin I could wrap a sandwich in it, and 2. The downpipes were so thin I could squeeze and crush them like an aluminum Pepsi can! The sales presentation ended there.

To be clear, I am not interested in installing any material that is not quality and will stand the test of time! The heavy gauge material we use has great durability, look newer longer, and will stand the test of time. Here is a house in Ancaster, Ontario we did about 15 years ago that still looks great!

With the thin gauge of aluminum being offered these days, you will be lucky to have the eavestrough system survive for 10 years and 5 years is more likely. It has a very difficult time handling the snow loads we get in Canada combined with the expansion/contraction of heat and cold.

So who should you hire and what gauge of aluminum should you use? You make the choice, but I would choose quality and reputation when making my decision.

If you would like a quote from us for a quality job EVERYTIME, call us at 905-966-2564 or visit our website at The Eavestrough Company .

You can also look at our online Google reviews by typing in our name on Google, read our over 300 awesome Home Stars reviews here: Home Stars , or look at our profile on the Better Business Bureau: Better Business Bureau .

We will ALWAYS give you quality work at a fair price and stand behind our amazing warranty!

The Eavestrough Company wins Best of Home Stars AGAIN!

The Eavestrough Company is pleased to announce it has been honoured with a HomeStars Best of 2022 Award celebrating  its commitment to quality work and service. 

“To be recognized with a HomeStars Best of Award is an incredible accomplishment and we are proud of this honour,” says Wendell Leytham, Owner of The Eavestrough Company. “We always strive to improve our service and hope to win this award again in the years to come. We've won this award in 2013, 2014, and 2018-2022. We've won this award 5 years in a row now and we narrowly missed out in 2015 and 2016."

Along with this award comes a new award. Anyone who wins this award in 3 consecutive years is considered the Best of the Best!

Best of Award winners are the top performing contractors on HomeStars. Winners are selected using several criteria including obtaining over 12 homeowner/customer reviews as well as their responsiveness to homeowners. 

“To win one of these awards is really a testament to a contractor’s quality of work,” says Nancy Peterson, Founder and CEO of HomeStars. ” We like to think of them as our own People’s Choice Awards since they are based on the reviews written by the homeowners.”

You can visit our HomeStars page here and read some of our 315 fabulous reviews! The Eavestrough Company on HomeStars

If you would like a quote for eavestrough, fascia, soffit, siding, or gutter protection, give us a call at 905-966-2564 or visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com. 

Drainage Solutions

Spring has sprung (almost) in 2022 and with it come the phone calls and emails of people contacting us to provide quotes on their homes for eavestrough, fascia, soffit, and siding. 

Since my wife and I started this company some 17 years ago, I have been to several thousand homes quoting jobs for people. Some very small jobs and some very large. With every home comes the challenge of analyzing the grading of the landscape and where the best location is for downpipes so water can drain away from the house and not pool next to it.  This is called "Positive Drainage" Positive drainage is simply the high point of your soil line being against the house and the low point away from your house so water can drain away from the foundation of your home.  Having proper grading and getting water away from your home is imperative!

I constantly encounter issues where downspout placement is inadequate or where downspouts are not placed in the correct areas.  This issue is most common around high traffic walkways, porches and driveways.  Downspouts need to be placed in areas where they will not allow water from your eavestrough to drain onto these areas.  Sometimes this requires adapting your existing downspouts to steer water away form these areas.  Many homeowners have neglected downspouts located in bad areas for years.  This can eventually lead to erosion in various parts of your property, wash out of soil and gravel and even water making its way through foundation cracks and into your basement.....and anyone who has experienced it can tell you water in your basement is NOT fun! 

When I a with a homeowner, I always discuss trying to place downspouts in an area where it will serve the property best. I am always looking for that positive drainage either at a front or back lawn that has good drainage, or a grade with a nearby ravine (like I have at my house), or into a well sloped garden. However there are some houses who have 3 entire sides covered in concrete and wood decks so trying to get water from the eavestroughs to the ground via the downpipes and away is impossible.

This is when I generally recommend to people something most have never thought about and that's taking the downpipe over the walkway about 7' above the ground, over the walkway and then down on the other side of the walkway or driveway. This way you can walk right underneath it. However, when I explain it to people, they initially imagine a pipe dangling in mid air. Now, I have seen that and done it for people using just a simple 4x4 post to anchor it to on the other side of the walkway. It certainly is not the most aesthetic part of the house!  But there are other ways that hide the downpipe and look beautiful!  I always recommend to people that they build a beautiful arbour to hide and support the downpipe. Here are some pictures below:

These solutions work well and most importantly they get the roof water away from the foundation and walkway.

If you would like a quote for eavestrough, fascia, soffit or siding, please contact us at 905-966-2564 or visit our website at https://theeavestroughcompany.com

COVID-19 Supply Constraints

 To put it mildly, 2021 has been an interesting year from a business stand point. Demand has been unbeliaevable, So many people have wanted quotes we can barely keep up, but the real kicker has been supplies are scarce!

In 2021, we have had some very irritated and impatient customers and I don't blame them. It's difficult for people to imagine or believe we gave them a quote in June 2021 and we haven't got the materials yet. To make matters worse the aluminum price has been soaring! From a business standpoint, this hurts us because we give a quote and people choose to go with us and by the time we do the job materials and labour have gone up in real time!

Yesterday, I had to drive all the way to Gentek in Scarborough, Ontario (about two hours away) to pick up two boxes of white pipes and two boxes of elbows. I got a rare glimpse into the warehouse and was mortified at what I saw! 

Look closely at the blue shelves! They were empty as far as the eye can see! Underneath them is a few boxes of vinyl siding and there are a few aluminum products as well. I remember two years ago these warehouses were packed with aluminum and vinyl. Common colours were available immediately and special order colours were maximum two to three week wait times.

Covid has brought some very interesting times to our business. We pray the supply chain can correct itself soon but from what our suppliers tell us, this will continue through 2022. We greatly appreciate the patience of our customers during this trying time. 

We are full for the 2021 season. However, if you would like a quote for 2022, we would be delighted help you. Please call us at 905-902-9424 or visit our website at https://theeavestroughcompany.com